The present invention generally relates to an object management system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to such an object management system that the objects can be freely managed by a plurality of users.
In the conventional object management systems, there have been well known UNIX systems and MS-DOS systems where the file objects such as data and programs are managed based upon the directory objects in the hierarchical (tree) structure. In such conventional object management systems, there is only one management system within the process system. Accordingly, there is only one hierarchical structure of the object. The data and object are provided with the file object in one-to-one relationship.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,405 discloses the file management system such that the files are distributed onto a plurality of memories, and are shared by a plurality of users. This file management system may provide such a virtual managing means for making an expansion of a file system effective only to a specific user. In accordance with the expansion of the file system, the partial trees of the file group having the base tree structure on an arbitrary storage device are coupled as one branch of the file group having the base tree structure on another storage device. As a consequence, the expansion by a specific user does not give adverse influences to other users.
However, the virtual mangements only for the parts to be expanded have been performed in the conventional management systems such as the UNIX system and also in the management system as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,405.